“You have art camp in a couple of weeks; I’m sure that’ll be amazing.” Penn ruffled his hair.
“Yeah.” It had been hard to find a camp that wasn’t a sleepover one. While Owen really wanted to try camp, he panicked at the thought of not sleeping at home. Rita had found one, and the drive was an hour each way, but he was worth it.
“How about that ice cream?” I clapped my hands and stood.
“Yay!” Olivia shouted while Owen nodded.
There was a local ice cream shop nearby that we loved to frequent. It had limited seating, but you could sit outside under the umbrellas and people-watch, which was Owen’s favorite part.
Danny in tow, we all headed out. It was a bit crowded, likely because other parents had come up with the same idea as I had.
“Penn, why don’t you and Owen go see about finding us a table?”
Owen didn’t like crowds and was attached to Penn like Velcro. “Sure, what ice cream do you want?” Penn asked Owen.
“Soft vanilla, rainbow sprinkles.”
I smiled at him. “You got it. What about you?” I looked at Penn.
He hummed. “I’ll just have a chocolate shake.”
“Okay.”
I watched as the two of them moved outside. I didn’t know how, but I was sure Penn was going to find a table.
I got the four of us, and Danny, ice cream and joined Penn and Owen outside. As predicted, they’d found a nice-sized table we could all sit at.
Olivia hummed happily around her cone of strawberry ice cream with chocolate sprinkles. We were all silent as we indulged. I sat back and looked along the street. It was quiet minus the kids all happily chattering, shaking off the school year and ready to embrace the memories summer held.
“Good?” I looked at Livy and Owen. They nodded, too busy devouring their sweet treats.
“Isn’t that Monica Calvern?” Danny jutted his chin, and I turned in the direction he was glaring.
Sure enough, across the street was Benito’s wife, entering a salon.
“What is she doing in Northchester?” As far as I knew, they didn’t live in this town.
“Not sure.” Danny already had his phone out. “I’m on it.” He pressed the phone to his ear and got up, likely to find somewhere quiet.
“An awful lot of coincidences happening, if you ask me,” I mumbled under my breath with a smile, not wanting to upset the twins.
Penn was squinting at the salon, and I could practically see the wheels turning in his brain. He hadn’t thought there was anything to worry about; I wondered if he’d changed his tune.
Danny returned a few minutes later with an update. “Got off the phone with Toni. He informed me that Benito Calvern is in the market for a home in Northchester, and get this—he’s put an offer in on the old Marion Estate.”
My eyes flared. “That’s on my street.” I looked at Penn. “Still think there’s nothing to worry about?”
He didn’t answer me, and he didn’t have to—judging by the expression on his face, he saw what was happening. BenitoCalvern was moving in. His time sitting quietly was over, and I had a very strong feeling that he was looking at dismantling my power and taking it all for himself.
Well, I’d teach him what happened to people who tried to challenge me and if needed, I’d bury him right next to Lorcan Anders.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Penn
In perfect Gideon fashion,he found out the bid Benito had made on the Marion Estate and bid higher. Did he want the house? No. Would he buy it and keep it vacant until the end of time to stop Calvern from getting it? Absolutely, he would. He was just the perfect amount of petty.
It had been two weeks since we’d seen Monica walking into the salon. Two weeks since Victor had resigned and Solange had taken over. Two weeks of unsettling calm. Part of me wanted to believe everything was quieting down, but I was nothing if not a realist. I was sure something was going to pop up soon.
